


Guilty For Liking You

by lesbiansmurf



Category: Les Schtroumpfs | The Smurfs
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/F, I’ve had this in my head for years and I can’t believe I’m really throwing it out into the wild, Multi, This is filled with headcanons and I use some elements from the original canon occasionally, enjoy fellow smurf likers, slowburn, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27108511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbiansmurf/pseuds/lesbiansmurf
Summary: What was supposed to be a simple errand turns into the beginning of everything for Stormy, who agrees to teach Smurfette a little self defense. As they get closer, some things fall apart—and others finally start to make sense.
Relationships: Grand Schtroumpf/Saule | Papa Smurf/Smurfwillow, One-Sided - Relationship, Schtroumpf Costaud/La Schtroumpfette | Hefty Smurf/Smurfette, Smurfette/SmurfStorm, Smurfette/SmurfStorm | La Schtroumphette/Tempête (Les Schtroumphs)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this, so here’s a companion playlist for your reading. Every song has its own meaning in the context of the story, and you’re free to interpret that. Cheers! 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68W3ligEs7BnQ59zDDi9sK?si=F9wAPXd6QFCwlPk4hjzldg

As the morning sun swept over the leafy green treetops that shielded Smurfy Grove, Smurfstorm watched the world slowly waking up from her window. Still clad in her green boxers and slightly tattered tank top, it was obvious she’d just rolled out of bed herself. She gazed down at her beloved home with a content smile; on the occasion she’d woken up this early and just couldn’t go back to sleep, it was always satisfying to watch their little village come to life again for the day. The only thing that could ever pull her from it ended up being the whistling of her impatient kettle.

“Alright, alright!” Stormy shushed it as she went to switch the stove off. She grabbed a knitted yellow pot-holder off the counter, and used it to place the steaming kettle next to her pour-over coffee maker. 

It was a simple setup: the cones you put the grounds in for brewing were two empty spiral shells that had been hollowed out, with a small hole drilled in the bottom. They sat side by side in a wooden frame that held them up. While Stormy was shoveling coffee grounds into one of her little filters, she mentally ran through a checklist of her daily tasks. 

_ ‘Okay, so,  _ **_definitely_ ** _ gotta give ol’ Spitfire a bath today… and it’s  _ **_my_ ** _ turn to clean the honey off the targets tonight… _ ’ she made sure to note. 

Was that really it today?

She stared off into space, snapping out of it just in time to not overflow the cone. After that, in went the hot water—now, all she had to do was wait. As her coffee brewed, her eyes darted around the house; with how it looked right now—it was a wonder she’d even had to ask herself what needed to be done today. 

With a basket-full of clean laundry, and the floor, littered with just as many dirty clothes, both staring back at her, she wouldn’t admit to whether she had been too busy to take care of either, or just too lazy when she’d  _ technically _ had the time. With how popular she was amongst everyone in the grove, and how often her friends would simply barge in uninvited—it was hard for Storm to find alone time. Everyone always needed  _ something _ . Not that she complained, of course—it isn’t like she  _ wouldn’t _ want to help, or  _ didn’t _ enjoy the attention—but it sure didn’t make her nonexistent time management skills any better. When she was finally alone, the  _ last _ thing she would want to do was laundry. 

Coffee was a welcome distraction. She took it black in her little purple mug, with a decent helping of honey; just enough to give her a jumpstart for the day. Once again, she was drawn to the view through her window; by now, more than half the village seemed to be up and around, still waking up and getting things together. Some were pumping iron first thing in the morning, or swinging through the treetops—while others picked berries and herbs, and chatted amongst each other. Content, but eager to start her day, Storm took another swig of her drink, when suddenly—

**“** **_STORMYYY!_ ** _ ” _

Through the door burst an all-too-chipper Smurfblossom, who’s sudden arrival nearly made the stoic smurf’s coffee go airborne in surprise. 

“Cheese and  _ crackers _ , Blossom! How many times are we gonna have to talk about this?” Storm scolded her, as she firmly set her mug down on the table. Not wanting to start the day off on the wrong foot, she toned her temper down a few notches. “A couple knocks is more than enough, okay? Now… what’s got  _ you _ so hyped up?” 

Smurfblossom beamed, silently appreciating how patient Stormy was with her, especially in comparison to others in the village. She was stern—but not without understanding. That’s why she was so easy to talk to.

“Nothin’ much, really!” She answered, as she happily skipped over to Storm, and drew her into a rib-crushing hug, “Just wanted to say good morning! Oh— _ and _ to tell you that SmurfWillow asked  _ me _ to ask if  _ you _ could meet her in the village square as  _ soon _ as possible! She said it was  _ really _ important!” 

Gasping for air and desperate to break free, Storm wriggled herself out of her friend’s nearly fatal embrace. “Really important?”

Blossom nodded her head vigorously. “Really, _really,_ **_really_** important.”

“Huh.” Storm replied, “I hope everything is okay. Did anything seem, like… I don’t know,  _ off _ with her?”

“Nope!” Blossom was quick to recall, “Just seemed like she always does to me.”

With a content shrug, Storm quickly ran to throw on her clothes; she tossed a green flannel on with several buttons lazily undone, and loosely tucked it into her cargo pants. While she gathered her things, Blossom took a seat and spun around on one of the barstools as she anxiously waited for her friend.

“I'm in over my  _ head _ in chores today—but I  _ really _ hope we get to hang out with Smurfette again soon. Oooh! We should totally have a girls day! Maybe a sleepover or something!” Smurfblossom excitedly proclaimed.

Storm chuckled as she slung her bag of arrows over her shoulders, and took up her bow. “Yeah, maybe as soon as you find all those bees you spooked off the other day when you squealed too loud after we went riding. ‘That on your list of things to do?” She teased.

Blossom pouted, but perked up when she took a look around the room. “Bet I’ll find them before you even  _ think _ about touching that laundry pile over there.”

Storm’s brow’s shot up. “Is that so?” 

“Yup!  _ Unless _ you wanna let it pile up so much that I can use it to climb up the trees to look for them.” She was quick to jab back. 

“I don’t have enough clothes to reach the  _ ceiling _ , let alone the treetops, but I’ll let you have this one.” Smurfstorm shrugged as she headed towards the door. “You coming?” 

“Oh! Yeah!”

Even when she had been several steps behind, Smurfblossom quickly skipped ahead of Storm as they made their way down a spiral wooden ramp that trailed all the way down the tree. As a gentle breeze rushed through the leaves, several smurfs flew past them on daisy gliders, wishing the two good morning as they disappeared up into the treetops. 

“GOOD MORNINGG!” sang Blossom right back at them, despite the timing of it being a bit off. Even if she was still loud for how early it was, Storm couldn’t help but smirk at her enthusiasm. Like it or not, that’s just who SmurfBlossom was—and she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

When they reached the ground, Storm looked around. By this point, the square had become so busy that she really couldn’t make out where Willow would be; which meant she had all the more reason to get a move on. When the eager smurf was about to take off, Smurfblossom held back.

“Hey Stormy, I  _ wish _ I could tag along, but I’ve got  _ tons _ of stuff to do today,” she reminded her, “So you’re gonna have to tell me  _ ALL _ about it later! Okay?” 

SmurfStorm nodded in understanding. “You’ve got it, twinkle toes. Good luck with your…  _ Bee _ herding.”

“You know, you’re right! I think I  _ should _ start with that first and get it over with!” She happily declared. Blossom whipped around, cupped her hands to her mouth, and began to wander off as she called to them. 

“Bzz Bzz… Bzz Bzz… Oh bee-eee-eees… come on ooouuut! It’s meee, Smurfblossom! I’m  _ really _ sorry I scared you! Bzz Bzz! Bzz Bzz!” 

Resisting the urge to laugh, Stormy booked it in the opposite direction, towards the bustling area that was the village square. Filled with people baking fresh pies, giving out bracelets and flowers, playing tag, or Jax; it was where everyone got together, especially at the beginning of the day. 

When she caught the attention of a group of girls staring at her with soft, adoring eyes, their giggling and frantic whispering amongst each other slowed her to a sudden stop. 

“Morning ladies,” she greeted them with a confident wave. They all turned to each other to quietly freak out and snicker in flustered excitement. 

“Good  _ morning _ , Storm _!” _ They swooned. One spoke up for the rest of the group. “Wanna hang out? We’d love to watch you do target practice!” she asked before becoming a bit sheepish. “I-If that’s alright, of course.”

The smug smurf couldn’t help but smirk as she pulled an arrow from her bag. 

“Well,” Smurfstorm began as she held the arrow up to the string of her bow, “Normally, I’d be happy to have you tag along, but…” 

With a wave of awestruck smurfs quietly gasping in its wake, Storm aimed true for a small hole in the tree directly above them; when there had been a moment of cheering for her success, a few of the girls had begun to quietly bicker over who got to  _ keep _ the arrow. The rest turned to her in sweet admiration, awaiting her answer.

“No can do today, girls. I’ve gotta go meet up with Willow; might have some  _ pretty _ important business to take care of.” she replied, hamming it up  _ almost _ unintentionally. 

“Oooooh!” They gaped in unison, “Good luck then, Stormy!” 

“Thanks!” She replied, “Maybe some other time, huh?”

With a wink as her parting gift, she rendered the little group into a chorus of dreamy sighs. 

Storm chuckled. “Never gets old.”   
  


* * *

It was hard not to get distracted by all there was to do and see downtown; at several points, the scent of a fresh baked Smurfberry pie cooling on a windowsill invited Storm to follow her nose—and resisting that was always easier said than done. But, it could be, and she did. There would be many more Smurfberry pies to taste in her lifetime. _Especially_ with how many of those bushes there were in Smurf Village.

“Smurfstorm!” 

The confused Smurf looked around. “Willow? Where are you?”

When no one came out, she was even more perplexed. 

She looked up into the tree above her, and suddenly, with another rush of the wind, a crowd of smurfs floating on daisies drifted over the village. All but one who began to descend, carried on back into the treetops. 

“Alright, Smurfs, be careful!” The descending voice cautioned. Storm lit up like a flame. 

“Hey, Willow! There you are!” She exclaimed. Sure enough, their leader held on tight to a daisy-glider, and slowly floated back down. 

“Well good morning, Smurfstorm!” SmurfWillow greeted her as she brushed some collected dirt and leaves off of her frock, “Sorry for the delay—they were so adamant about wanting me to come join them for a bit, I just couldn’t turn them down. I’m sure you understand.”

Smurfstorm laughed it off. “All too well,” she agreed. “Now, what’s all this important stuff you needed that Smurfblossom was going on about?” 

“Ah,” Willow began, “Well, to be  _ honest _ , it really isn’t all that much. I just wanted to see if you could take some Feverfew from my garden over to Papa Smurf for me! It  _ is _ important, of course, but… I  _ think _ she may have over-exaggerated a bit. My apologies.” 

“Hey, no harm done,” she assured her, “I can harvest it and go right after if you want?” 

Willow reached behind her, and pulled out a small bag that was tied shut with string. 

“That first bit won’t be necessary,” she told her with a grin, “But, if you  _ could _ head over there as soon as possible, I’d appreciate it! Just so you don’t forget. He’ll be needing that tomorrow.” 

“Well, say no more!” Storm said as she took it into her hands, “Be back in no time. Anything else you need?” 

Willow shook her head, “That’s more than enough, Stormy. Thank you very much.” 

“No problem, Willow!” she replied with a salute, “See ya!”

With that, Stormy took off towards the entrance of the grove, leaving a chorus of goodbyes from her friends and fellow Smurfs in her wake.   
  


* * *

After Gargamel had discovered Smurfy Grove, the two villages had teamed up in order to; one, protect themselves, and two, to make access to each other much easier. Papa and Willow, with the help of Handy, had developed a pair of portals leading in/out of Smurf Village and Smurfy Grove, in addition to using a spell to conceal The Grove from most of the outside world. Each portal was confined within a large frame built by Handy, where Smurfs could roam freely back and fourth.

The portals changed everything; now, neither village had to question the idea of uprooting their lives to be closer to one-another. Tearful goodbyes and prolonged waiting for scarce visits were no more; they made little errands, such as Smurfstorm’s, perfectly normal. In any case, it sure beat out a trip across the entire enchanted forest. Though it had been an adjustment, for the most part, both villages had learned to live together quite well. Even if they had disagreements or different ways of doing things, they figured out how to make things work; as long as everything got done as it was supposed to, at the end of the day, there was no need to point out the differences. 

Both portals were built on the outskirts of each village; in Smurfy Grove, wildflowers grew beside the trampled grass path that lead up to it, and tiny chicken-of-the-woods mushrooms now grew out of the portal’s contained, oval wood frame. 

Smurfstorm hopped through, and was met with an idyllic, faraway view of Smurf Village, and the sights, smells, and sounds of a busy morning. The scent of Greedy’s cooking drifting through the village, getting stronger, and making her feel lighter as she drew closer; the  _ Boom! _ of a Jokey Smurf joke box right off the bat… all reminders that it was good to be back.

As she walked on by, she was met with various Hello’s from any Smurf who could manage it. Most everyone was running around, scrambling to get an early start on their chores while breakfast was cooking; smurfs washing or hanging their laundry, tending to their gardens, or cleaning house. They liked to have their chores done early on, so they could use the rest of the day to do whatever they wished. 

“Well hey! Mornin’, Stormy!” Clumsy shouted as he raced over, tripped over his own two feet, and landed flat in front of her. Smurfstorm quietly laughed to herself, and offered him her hand to help him back up onto his feet. 

“Morning, Clumsy, what’s—“

“Stormy, I’m  _ real _ happy to see ya’, which is why I’m  _ real _ sorry, but I’ve  _ gotta _ go meet up with Brainy! He said it was  _ really _ important. Can we pick this up later?”

“Um, yeah, sure I g—“

“GREAT! Thanks, bye!” He interrupted as quickly as he ran off, and not too long after, tripped over an empty bucket and only to land face-first in Farmer’s wheelbarrow of smurfberries. Smurfstorm shook her head out of sympathy, and continued on.

Grouchy sat in a corner in-between his house and another, with Baby Smurf in one arm, and his little rattle in the other. Was he…. smiling?

Storm walked up to them and cleared her throat; immediately, the Grouchy Smurf  _ she _ knew, was back. 

“What?” He asked her abruptly enough to make her jump a bit. She hated when he did that, and he knew it. How embarrassing.

“Mornin’ Grouchy-Pants,” she greeted him dryly, “Just came to say hi to the little guy over here. Morning, Baby Smurf!” 

Storm happily gave Baby Smurf a little noogie over his hat, at which he burst into a little fit of giggles. She smiled from ear to ear.

“I  _ hate _ good mornings.” He replied, as she walked away. There were more important things to do than spend all morning pressing Grouchy’s buttons.  _ Today _ there was, at least. 

When she finally reached Papa Smurf’s mushroom, she was met with a note on the door.

_ Gone to play chess with Homnibus. _

_ Will be back before sundown. _

_ Love, Papa Smurf. _

He’d probably left not long after sunrise.  _ Just _ missed him. Damn. Well, at least he, surprisingly enough, never kept his door locked. She was able to leave it on his work table where he’d find it later, and went right back the way she came.

“Okay, okay. Get home, Spitfire’s bath, target practice…” She began talking to herself, keeping a mental checklist of her tasks at hand. Storm seemed to drift off into her own thoughts, spacing out for longer than she’d anticipated. She had a very one-track mind when it came to her duties; get them done, and move on. Everything had to be planned, or it would stress her out too much. But, today wouldn’t be all that much; when she got home, she could just spend some time with her favorite little dragonfly. She’d probably end up soaked after trying to bathe him, but that was alright. There wasn’t even that much water involved, and yet, somehow, she always came out of it looking like  _ she _ ’ _ d _ just had a bath rather than he. Though she was enjoying revisiting those silly little memories—it certainly made it hard for her to focus on where she was going.

With a great thud, Smurfstorm clashed into another smurf; the two of them fell to the ground. 

“Oh my gosh! Stormy?” 

With her hand pressed against her forehead, the sore smurf looked up, and for a moment, she held in a breath, finding it almost impossible to respond.

Of course it would’ve been Smurfette who just happened to run into her. Who just happened to be staring down at her with those alluring, deep, and currently,  _ concerned _ eyes. Those eyes that made you desperately wish you could only come closer; those that challenged even the most disciplined Smurf’s impulse control.

And Storm was anything but disciplined. 

“Um…” Smurfette broke her patient silence, popping Storm’s dazed trance like a balloon, “...Stormy? A-Are you okay?”

SmurfStorm practically jumped out of her skin without moving. Whatever the hell that was, or whatever it meant, she wasn’t willing to unpack right now. Denying any assistance, she quickly stood back up, and brushed the dust off her tunic. 

“I’m fine,” she replied, “...But, you should watch where you’re going there, Blondie.” Storm teased, as she crossed her arms. “What’s the rush?” 

Smurfette nervously rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, it’s, kind of silly now that I just ran you over in the process…” 

Storm shrugged. “I think I can handle a little silliness,” she reassured her, “Lay it on me.” 

Smurfette couldn’t help but grin. 

“Well, see… down by the river, I noticed that there are a  _ lot _ of Surprise Lilies,” she began to explain.

“Surprise Lilies?” Smurfstorm questioned, “...what’s so… uh…  _ surprising _ about them?” 

“Because you never know when they’ll come up!” She beamed, “I noticed their little blossoms when I was walking by the river with Hefty the other day; If I’m right, they should be in full bloom by now!” 

Though her face housed an amused smile, there was something about that sentence that made an unidentifiable, uneasy feeling drift over her. Thankfully, it seemed to leave as quick as it came; or, at least, she  _ assumed _ it had. 

“So you wanna see them?” Storm asked her.

Smurfette nervously ground the end of her shoe into the ground, “Well—yeah! A lot! But, I know it certainly isn’t something worth running into you ove—“

“Let’s go, then.” 

The embarrassed smurf was taken aback. “What?”

“You heard me, flower girl,” she smirked, “Let’s go, then! Let’s go see your Lilies.” 

Starry-eyed, Smurfette rushed into SmurfStorm’s arms to wrap her into the tightest, most rib-crushing hug she’d ever received. And being as she managed to live through  _ Smurfblossom’s _ hugs on a daily basis, that was saying a lot. 

“Can’t… breathe…Smurfette—“

On that note, Smurfette released her, and she gasped for air, hunching over in an attempt to catch her breath.

“Oops.” Smurfette said with a nervous chuckle, “Sorry!”

Once Storm was back up, she waved it off. “It’s all good. Were you gonna lead the way?” 

Smurfette nodded enthusiastically, and took Stormy’s hand into hers. It made Storm’s chest tighten for a moment in a way she couldn’t explain, but that seemed to be replaced by a feeling of lightness from then on. It was strange, but now wasn’t the time to give it too much thought.

With that, the two set off into the forest, down towards the river Smurf. 


	2. Chapter 2

Smurfette gasped the moment the bushes came into view; the precious glow of anticipation beaming from her face was enough to make anyone smile. 

“Look, Stormy! There they are!” She exclaimed; Stormy didn’t even get the chance to reply before she took off in their direction. She felt like a sack of potatoes being dragged by a raging bull—in this case, a flower-loving Smurf. 

“Easy, Smurfette!” She pleaded, “I work out everyday and even  _ I _ can’t keep up with you! They’re not gonna grow legs and run away!”

By that point, though, any complaints had been pretty futile, considering they were already there; with how lovely they were, despite being a  _ teensy _ bit frazzled, she understood her enthusiasm. Not  _ entirely _ , but she could see why they made Smurfette, a known flower enthusiast, so happy. They were… lovely.

More than lovely. 

Stormy watched intently as Smurfette stood in the Lily bush, awestruck. They were elegant flowers, and Smurfette, with her long, flowing, sun-kissed hair, and her delicate cotton dress, looked like she fit right in with them. She gleefully flapped her hands before gently cupping them around a lily, and leaning closer to breath in it’s sweet scent. In moments like this, she always wished you could just  _ hug _ a flower without crushing it. 

Storm smiled, and strode over. “...Pretty, huh?” 

After playing with one in particular for awhile, she picked it for herself, and twiddled the stem.

“They’re beautiful.” She sighed, as she looked down at the Lily she’d picked. After a few moments, Smurfette’s gaze drifted up from her flower, back to Stormy.

“Thank you so much for coming with me, Storm.” 

A discreet chill ran up Storm’s spine. “Me? Ahh, c’mon. You could’ve gotten anyone to go.” 

“I didn’t  _ want _ just  _ anyone _ to go.” Smurfette said back. “So thank  _ you! _ Accept it!” 

The two laughed together briefly, and Storm playfully rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. You’re welcome.” 

Satisfied, Smurfette’s little mischievous grin stretched from ear to ear. “That’s more like it.”

For awhile after that, they sat in comfortable silence, which would occasionally be broken by Smurfette making various excited noises, or to talk about the specifics of her favorite flower. While the stoic Smurf was pretending to be watching the river behind her; it was impossible to  _ not _ be watching Smurfette when she was like this. While she actually enjoyed all the foliage that surrounded them—it was her reactions to it that made the experience. Her infectious enthusiasm... the way that she would smile so huge when she looked through them that it made her nose crinkle… the fact that her dainty little dress  _ looked _ like one of the flowers; it all gave Smurfstorm the weirdest feeling in her gut. Was it nerves?

“So… are you gonna take any home with you?” Storm asked her. Smurfette excitedly nodded in return. “Yep! They only last for 10 days, so I don’t feel as bad if I take a few. They look so pretty in the window!” she exclaimed, as she looked down at the one she held, “Like this one! It’s going to look perfect in a vase.”

“You’re right; that one looks like a great first choice, too,” Stormy replied, “Can I see it?” 

Smurfette was more than happy to hand it over to a seemingly curious Stormy, who came closer to take it. She spun the flower’s stem, acting as though she was studying it from different angles. Her palms felt sweaty. 

“Yeah, this would look nice in the window,” she finally said, “But, I don’t know. I think it would look better someplace else.” 

Well, Smurfette definitely wasn’t expecting that reply, but she was all the more intrigued. “Oh? Where?” 

Stormy hesitated. “Uh… I’m—I mean, I think…” 

What was wrong with her? She did this everyday in Smurfy Grove. It was all a game. Right? Why couldn’t she spit it out? It was ruining the effect! 

Thankfully, she was able to regain herself.

Storm leaned in towards Smurfette, mere inches from her face. “Riiight about…” 

She gently tucked the flower behind her ear, and into her hair. Taken by surprise, Smurfette was unsure of what to say. She knew it was rude to stare, but had never felt so… compelled to. 

“There. Good spot for it, right?” 

Smurfette’s endearing smile stretched across her whole face, and she directed her gaze towards the ground. It felt like this was the first time she’d ever been complimented on anything ever—even if that was far from the truth. Her brain scrambled for something to say.

“I mean, I’m no  _ windowsill _ .” She deflected. What did that even mean? Why couldn’t she just say thank you?

“Is this the same girl that told me to take a compliment like ten minutes ago?” She pointed out, “Go see for yourself.” 

Storm gestured towards the river with her arm, and Smurfette slowly stepped over to the bank, to look down at her reflection in the water. It was almost hard for her to believe that the same girl who had called her out in front of everyone in Smurfy Grove, had become such a good friend over time. She did wish that they could be closer—but, in Smurfette’s mind, SmurfStorm’s gesture of kindness meant just that. There was more to come; all in due time.

While Smurfette looked down at the water, Storm stood idly by, once again trying to act like she was looking at anything  _ else _ . The river. The tree tops. The lillies. The clovers along the shore that trailed into the water. It wasn’t clear to her whether she was trying to keep  _ Smurfette _ from knowing she was looking at her, or whether she was trying to fool  _ herself _ into believing she wasn’t, too. 

Suddenly, there was a far off rustling in the bushes. Storm was the first to hear and feel it, while Smurfette remained unaware. It’s bounding feet against the dirt made the ground beneath her feet tremble ever so slightly, just enough to where she knew something, or someone, sensed their presence. The closer it ventured, the louder it was, and the bigger it sounded. Something was in the forest, and it was headed straight towards them.

“Hey, Storm? Do you—“

“Shh…” Stormy whispered, “Don’t move.” 

The silence that followed her commands held the weight of a ton of bricks. Whatever it was, was clearly waiting for the right moment. 

**_“MREOW!”_ **

The two of them gasped.  _ “Azrael!” _

The hungry cat launched himself into the air, and landed paws first in front of them, hunched down and ready to pounce again. He bared his teeth with a sinister smile. 

Storm loaded her bow, and aimed it right towards the center of his nose.

“What’s new, pussycat?” She mocked him, as she released the blunt arrow. It struck him with the same force as if he’d been swatted in the face. Furious, he slammed his paw down and pinned her to the ground, looming over her with his unforgiving cat eyes, and the heat of his disgusting dragon breath. 

Unintimidated, she swung her arm elbow-first against his nose for a second time, and launched a swift double kick in-between his paws; finally freeing herself of the pesky, hungry feline.

In the time that he spent burying his face in his paws, cowering Storm rushed Smurfette to the edge of the river with one hand, and grabbed a long vine off the ground with the other. They stood close together, and Storm handed her the other end behind her back. 

“When I say when, you lift that up, don’t let go, and run the other way. Got it?” 

Smurfette nodded. “Got it.” 

Storm smiled at her, then turned back to Azrael. He was starting to shake off the pain, but at this point, was beyond ticked off with the both of them. Smurfstorm, of course, in particular.

“We’re over here, you mean ol’ cat!” Storm taunted him, “Come get us!” 

Azrael dug his paw against the dirt, and charged straight for them without thinking. Storm held them out for as long as she could so he wouldn’t figure it out, but when the moment was right, she cried out, “NOW!” and the both of them ran in the opposite direction, down the length of the vine. Azrael, taken by utter surprise, tripped over the vine and was launched face first in the middle of the river. Frantically, he paddled to the other side. 

Smurfette turned to her in awe. “Stormy! That was amazing! You saved us!” 

Smurfstorm bashfully waved it off. “Aw, come on now, we’ve all gotta know how to fend off Azrael, right?”

Smurfette hesitated. “Yeah, I guess so,” she agreed, 

“But you’re definitely better at it than the average smurf.” 

A passing,  _ tempting _ thought crossed her mind, and Storm bit her tongue. It was clear that holding it was not her strong suit. 

“...Better than Hefty?” She asked, the sneer on her face evidently satisfied before she’d even gotten an answer. Smurfette crossed her arms.

“Oh, c’mon, you can’t make me choose that!” She rebuttled, “It’s too hard.”

Storm shrugged. “I’ll take that as a win.”

“That’s not what I said!” She playfully elbowed her. “But it  _ is _ a very close tie.” 

“Whatever you say, Blondie.” Smurfstorm surrendered.

The two of them took a seat on the river bank, and looked out at the rushing water. Schools of fish happily scattered about, occasionally propelling up out of the waves; solitary bullfrogs hopped from lilypad to lilypad. While Smurfette looked to be enjoying the scenery, Stormy was casually in search of good pebbles to skip across the water. 

“So…” Smurfette shyly began, “...I’ve wanted to know for a while, but, I was wondering… where did you learn all that, anyway?”

“Willow,” she answered with a nostalgia-fueled smile as she skipped a pebble, “ _ But _ , I had…  _ slightly _ different training from some of the others, so I’m always looking for new techniques. Read my fair share of books, practiced. Sparred with just about everybody in the Grove. Why?” 

“Well…” Smurfette rocked on her heels, “Do you think you’d ever consider…  _ teaching _ people?”

“Teaching what? Self defense?” Storm asked. 

“Yeah!” Smurfette exclaimed, “...Only if you  _ wanted _ to, of course. I think you’d make a great teacher.”

Storm raised her brows. “Loving your way of asking me to without  _ actually _ asking me,” she remarked with a smirk, “But… thanks. I’ve taught people  _ some _ things, but never a whole crash course. Can’t give away  _ too _ many secrets, right?” 

Smurfette, intrigued, turned to her. “Well, what  _ can _ you give away?” 

She pondered that for a moment. “The thing about self defense is that you’ve  _ gotta _ have a good head on your shoulders—if you know where the most common weak links are in whatever you’re protecting yourself from, fists and all aside,  _ that’s _ your ticket.” 

“Well… I guess the  _ fists _ part is probably what I’m… ah, lacking?” Smurfette replied, “I want to be more in touch with that part of me; like you are! We barely use weapons here, so, beyond what I’ve played around with in Smurfy Grove… I’m a little out of the loop.”

Storm nodded, thinking on it, and tossed another pebble across the river. 

“Okay,” she said, “ _ Hypothetically _ , if I  _ were _ to teach you, where would we even practice?” 

Smurfette was confused. “Um… The Grove? Smurf Village?”

Stormy shook her head. “Nope. You’d attract too much attention; everybody  _ always _ wants to chat it up with you, and an audience would just make you nervous. It’d be impossible to actually learn anything, you know?” 

“Hm… alright, good point.” Smurfette agreed, as she pursed her lips. It was true. She couldn’t seem to do anything out in the open without people striking up a conversation with her sometimes; she supposed it was just a  _ slight _ drawback of being known as someone that was easy to open up to. So they’d need to go somewhere close, but not  _ too _ close, that was isolated. Somewhere like… 

Lightbulb.

“Wait!” She exclaimed, “I know where we could go!”

“You do?” Storm asked.

“I do!” Smurfette excitedly chimed in, “ _ And _ it’s close by. But…” 

“But?” She replied.

“I have  _ tons _ of chores still left to do today—to be honest… I wasn’t expecting to be gone so long. Not that it hasn’t been for a good reason!” She clarified, gesturing to her armful of lillies, “Not at all, but… I really can’t wait much longer.” 

“Alright, blondie—here’s my answer,” Storm began, “If I like the place, and we can figure things out… I’ll give you some pointers.  _ No _ promises.” 

Smurfette’s eyes lit up like a match. “You mean it?!”

“Alright, come on, don’t go taking me all outta context here—but, yeah. I know my way around a bow, in addition to some other things… and I think you should too.” 

Taking her by surprise, Smurfette pulled Stormy into a grateful hug. Used to being met with SmurfBlossom’s grip of death, she had braced herself on impact—but it didn’t take much for Storm to realize that her hugs weren’t anything to shy away from. They were laced with a tenderness that made her feel… lighter. Like a giant weight had just been lifted off her chest—only to be replaced with one twice as heavy the moment she withdrew from it.

“Thank you so much,” Smurfette replied. “You won’t regret this, Stormy; we’re gonna have so much fun!” 

“Remember,  _ no _ promises,” she casually reminded her, “but… yeah; in the meantime, why don’t we get you back to the village?” 

“That’s  _ just _ what I was thinking,” Smurfette agreed.

Before Storm could even reply, much less make a move, Smurfette sprinted ahead of her, turned around, and called out, “Last one home’s a rotten smurf!”

* * *

The two Smurfs stumbled over and around each other as they rolled into the courtyard, one playfully taunting the other, each fighting to get ahead. 

Smurfette skidded across the grass and onto one of the dirt paths woven throughout the village; her heels dug into the soil before she slowly came to a complete stop. With a fire in her eyes and sweat trickling down her cheek, she raised her arm up in victory.

“Ha!  _ I _ won!” She gleefully announced. Storm was less impressed with her win, and more with how her lillies managed to go unscathed the whole race.

“Well, jokes on you, blondie, because,  _ technically _ …  _ my _ home is through  _ there _ .” 

She gestured to the portal behind them with the sneakiest grin on her face. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Smurfette teased her, as she stood back up. 

“Like a baby.”

With her arms full of flowers, Smurfette walked back towards her friend. 

“Now that we’re back… um, I wanted to say thank you,” She began, “I’ve had my share of run-ins with Azrael and got out just fine, but you were amazing out there. So… this is for you.” 

Thoughtfully chosen, she offered one of her lillies to her secretly-bashful friend.

“You’re sure?” Storm asked as she looked down at the flower, then back up. Smurfette nodded.

“Of course I am.” 

Hesitantly, the flustered archer accepted her gift; with the stem clenched in her sweaty palms, a mumbled “Thanks,” was all that left her mouth. Smurfette grinned, and set the rest of the bouquet down next to her.

“So, wanna start training tomorrow?” She suggested.

Storm snapped out of a daze. “Huh? Oh… Uh, yeah! Can we meet here at dawn? I mean, unless that’s too early—“

“No, no! That sounds great.” Smurfette assured her, “Besides, if we make it there fast enough, we’ll get to see a really cool sunrise at our training spot!”

Pleased, Storm nodded. “Dawn it is, then.” 

“Smurfette!” 

Down the path ran Hefty Smurf, which, as soon as Smurfette turned her head away, made Smurfstorm visibly annoyed. She couldn’t stand the guy, even if he’d  _ technically _ never done anything wrong. Nothing more than being a stubborn thorn in her side.

“Been lookin’ all over ya’!” He said, as he bounded over to them; the smitten smurf draped his arm around Smurfette, and pulled her close. “Missed you.” 

Storm’s stomach lurched; she hoped with all of her that it hadn’t been too obvious. Whether related or not, Smurfette wormed her way out of his embrace, and gave him a gentle, but disapproving look. Maybe PDA just wasn’t her thing?

“Hey! Storm and I were just out in the woods, and look what we found!” Smurfette excitedly gathered her bouquet, and held it up between them. “The surprise lilies are in bloom today!”

“Right, right… hey, that’s super cool.” Hefty said, trying his hardest to express interest. “Oh. ‘Sup, Storm?” 

She shrugged, and tried to hide her distaste. “Same old, same old.”

Giving up on that conversation going anywhere, Hefty once again drew his attention back to Smurfette, who he placed his arm around once again. “You’ve  _ gotta _ come see this, babe. Handy built the  _ craziest _ machine! It’s called a  _ Smurfmill _ —and it lets you run  _ inside _ !” 

Smurfette jokingly rolled her eyes, and removed his arm from her shoulders. He settled for her hand instead. “Don’t you already do that inside  _ without _ a machine?” 

“Well…  _ yeah _ , but, it’s different! You gotta see it to know what I mean. It’s next level!” He explained. 

“Alright,” she agreed, “ _ Only _ if we drop these flowers off at my house first.” 

“As you wish, my lady,” Hefty joked, as he leaned down to kiss her hand. Smurfette locked gazes with her mildly uncomfortable looking friend, and wormed her hand out of his. Her apology came in the form of an embarrassed smile, which, despite the context, was impossible to not accept.

“Til tomorrow, then?” She asked, quietly praying that her mind hadn’t been changed. 

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Storm replied.

Though the two of them waved goodbye, for a moment, Storm lingered. She stared at the two of them as they walked back into the village together. Fingers interlocked. Warm smiles on their faces. Smurfette happily striding along with a skip in her step, while her golden hair flowed and flounced about with every move she made. It was no wonder that so many were entranced by her very presence. She was graceful, and kind. She was… filled with so many good ideas, random knowledge, and clashing ambitions that she rarely ever knew what to do with any of it. Always hopping from one thing to the next—and now, it wasn’t even because she was searching for her ‘purpose’. It was just because… she wanted to. Just for the sake of her own happiness. That was something she admired about her the most. 

Ever since Smurfette had united their villages, even after everything Stormy had said to her in the beginning—the two of them had grown closer. Not the clo _ sest _ , but, close nonetheless. They seldom hung out one-on-one, but, even during group hangouts, there was something that just seemed to draw them to each other. Something that, secretly… kind of  _ excited _ Storm. Just a little bit. Whatever it was, it showed anyone with eyes that they meshed well together; Smurfette had lots to say, and Stormy was a good listener. They played off of each other well. In games, they were an unstoppable team; as competitors, even worse.

But for now, there she was; cozied up with Mister Meathead. 

The sight of Hefty displaying even subtle affection towards her would make Storm feel like her insides were turned inside-out. It was flat out embarrassing to admit to something so childish, unreasonable, and nonsensical, even if the only person she admitted it to was herself. If anything, that just made the fact that it  _ was _ silly ten times louder; to be… what was it?  _ Intimidated _ by Hefty? No. He  _ wished _ she was intimidated by him. Disgusted? Well… in some ways, one could have argued that was accurate. But, no. Not entirely. Annoyed? Always. However… it was more powerful than just that; something that ate at her from within, and dragged her willpower through the dirt. 

Something like… no. Anything but that.  _ Anything _ .

Smurfstorm gagged at the thought. What did she have to be jealous of Hefty for? His weird overzealous morning workout routine? Being an impulsive show off? Yeah,  _ real _ tempting there. 

But, his faults aside—as she noticed Smurfette lean into him while Handy seemed to be pitching his new invention to them—the difference between the two of them was clear. 

Without another word, she took herself right back through the portal she came from. 

* * *

Handy’s presentation for his new invention was simple, quick, and it was exactly as Hefty had described. Perfect for the fact that, despite how much she wanted to hang out with her friends, Smurfette had a schedule to keep—there was too much to take care of for her to be ogling over one of Handy’s new contraptions all day—no offense to his inventions, of course. Hefty took the opportunity to walk her home, and continued to ramble on about it. 

“Oh, c’mon, Smurfette! That thing was awesome!” Hefty argued, “You don’t think so?” 

“It’s not that I don’t think it was—Handy’s inventions always surprise me… for better or for worse,” She explained, “I just don’t think you’d have much use for it. You can’t stand being cooped up in your house,  _ even _ when you’re working out.”

Hefty shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind being cooped up with  _ you _ .” 

“What, so I could watch you run on the Smurfmill all day?” She replied with a justified eye-roll. 

“I don’t think you’d be complaining.” He said. A satisfied smirk crept onto his face when Smurfette had no reply—really, she just didn’t know  _ how _ to. She knew what he meant,  _ but _ … didn’t have the words to rebuttal.

“I guess not.” She shrugged. That conversation went cold from there, and the two strode along in silence for a while on the way back to her house. But Hefty, puzzled, yet still optimistic, wasn’t going to let it  _ totally _ fizzle out. 

“So, I was thinking…” he began, “Maybe we could smurf up a picnic this afternoon down by the river, just you and me?” 

Smurfette shook her head. “Sorry, Hefty. As much as I wish I could, I have  _ so _ many chores to do. Laundry, dusting, sweeping, and I  _ have _ to go out and gather more tea leaves,” She tried to explain, “It’s just a busy day. You know how it is.” 

“Yeah, I get it.” He understood, “...Is  _ tonight _ out of the question?” 

She grinned. “ _ That _ , I think I can free up my schedule for.” 

Hefty balled up his fist, and quietly said, ‘ _ Yes!’ _ to himself.

“ _ But! _ Stormy and I are doing training  _ bright _ and early tomorrow, so I can’t stay out too late. Deal?” 

Hefty’s face scrunched up. “ _ Training _ ? With  _ SmurfStorm _ ? For what?” 

Caught off guard by his tone, Smurfette was almost unsure of how to respond at first. “Well, nothing, really… just some self defense skills, and maybe—“ 

“Smurfette, I mean… couldn’t you have just asked  _ me _ ?” He interrupted, “If you wanted to learn more of that stuff, I’m right here to help—“ 

“Hefty,” she said, “Look…  _ please _ don’t take this personally. A small part of it is so that I can get to know her better, too. It’s nothing against you. Besides that, she knows her way around a bow really well—and I wanna get better!”

“ _ I _ could learn my way around a bow.” Hefty mumbled to himself. She placed a caring hand on his shoulder, and instantly, could feel him melt like an ice cube beneath her.

“I have no doubt that you could,” She encouraged him, “Alright? Me learning with Storm has nothing to do with whether I think you’re ‘qualified’ enough. it’s nice to be able to learn from her, but, in a lot of ways… it’ll be great for bonding with her, too. Understand?” 

“Yeah.” He agreed dejectedly, “...Sorry I took it in the wrong way.” 

Smurfette grinned. “It’s okay,” she said, “Besides; I think you can make it up to me at dinner, right?” 

She planted a quick kiss on his cheek, and instantly, he could’ve been putty in her hands. Hefty was in a daze, only snapping out of it when the door was swiftly closed in his face.

“Oh—Uh, yeah! Right!” He stammered, as he scratched the back of his head. Whatever they had was… interesting, to say the least. When it came to dating, even as casually and un-committedly as they were, he’d noticed that Smurfette was rather… aloof. Sometimes things were great, and he felt confident she felt the same way—other times, they just felt like… well, friends. Which, in itself, wasn’t bad at all. You  _ had _ to be friends to be in a relationship, after all—but when he felt so much for her, sometimes the back and forth could drive him a little crazy, to say the least. 

Once Smurfette heard footsteps fading in the other direction, she slid down, back against the doorframe, and sat on the floor with her chin propped up on her knees. Heart slowly thumping in her chest, she only had eyes for the ground. 

Hefty was her friend. A  _ best _ friend. Someone she could depend on. Someone who had seen her at her very lowest, and encouraged her all the way until she reached her highest. He had a gentle soul, and a soft heart—someone who would do anything to protect those he loved, but wouldn’t hurt a fly as long as it never stepped out of line. A gentle giant. And she  _ loved _ that about him. There was no denying that.

She loved him. She loved him like  _ that _ . Right? Yes. Of course she did. What was there to deny? He was a genuine, hardworking smurf. The picture perfect suitor. He hadn’t  _ said _ he loved her yet—besides when they were just friends, of course—but she could sense he did. Which felt… nice.

And yet, somehow, she’d assumed her feelings would have been more intense than they were at the thought of that.

Instead of dwelling in what was probably just leftover anxiety from a high-stakes morning, Smurfette took a deep breath, shook it off, and went to go gather up her laundry for the week.

* * *

The rest of Stormy’s afternoon was just how she’d pictured it; a bath for spitfire that soaked her more than it did him, a little friendly competition in the village square, and at the very end of it all—cleaning up all the honey off of those targets. Luckily, after a long day of bee wrangling, Blossom was there to provide some company, chatter, and  _ maybe _ a little help. Much more of the second. It didn’t take long before the two of them were on their way back up to her place; after all, Blossom  _ did _ only live two branches down.

“Soo, Stormy,” Blossom began, “Me and some of the girls are gonna spend the day at the creek tomorrow! You in?” 

Storm shook her head. “Can’t. Already have plans.” 

“Oh yeah? With who?” She asked, perplexed. As she did, Stormy opened her door, and tossed her bundle of arrows hap-hazardously on the couch. 

“Smurfette.”

Blossom gasped, and smiled so wide, you’d think it would’ve fallen off her face. “I  _ knew _ you seemed different.” 

“What?” Storm replied, “What are you talking about?”

Instantly, her overjoyed expression dropped. “...eh, nothin’ special.” She backpedaled, “But, what are you guys gonna do?” 

Stormy shrugged, and set her bow down on the counter. “Just teaching her a little self defense. No promises it’ll go anywhere, but, hey. Sounds like a fun way to kill some time.” 

“ _ Just _ to kill time? Oh c’mon, Stormy. You’re too funny.”

“I’m serious, Blossom,” she asserted, “C’mon.” 

The smirk on her friend’s face said it all. She could  _ smell _ that lie. 

“What are you  _ smiling _ about?” 

“Oh, I dunno,” she replied, “I just didn’t know lilies were your thing, Stormy.” 

Storm scowled; her face was as flushed as a blueberry. Sure enough, behind them sat one of the lilies Smurfette had given her that morning, displayed proudly in a vase on her windowsill.

“So what? I took her to see some flowers today, and she gave me one. Why does it have to mean something deeper than that?” 

“ _ I _ give you flowers all the time, and  _ they _ never make it into a vase!” Blossom objected. 

Swiftly, Storm’s palm met her forehead. “You make them into necklaces before I even get the chance to put them there!” she stressed, “What do you want me to do? Stuff them in it? Make Potpourri?” 

The chipper smurf opened her mouth to speak, but quickly stifled. “Okay.  _ That _ one you’re right about.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, don’t I know it.” 

Silence filled the room. Blossom shrugged, and eventually, headed for the door. 

“Well, whatever you’re doing it for,” she said as she gripped the doorknob, “Have lots of fun for me, okay?” 

Storm nodded. “...Thanks.” 

“ _ But _ ,” she pointed, “If you need somesmurf to talk to about  _ anything _ ,  _ anything _ at all—“

“ _ Thank _ you, Smurfblossom. You’ll be the  _ first _ person I go to if I  _ desperately _ need to admit… how  _ badly _ I  _ need _ to borrow some sugar.” 

Thoroughly bummed by that point, Blossom stuck her tongue out. “Go find your someone  _ else’s _ sugar to borrow, party-pooper!” 

“You know you don’t mean that.” 

“...I knooow,” she sighed, “Night, Stormy.” 

“ _ Goodnight _ , Blossom.”

With her friend gone, Smurfstorm began to fill her kettle with water. As she sat there, her gaze continued to drift back and forth from the water, up to the Lily in her window; the moonlight that spilled in and shone over it’s sprawling petals… entranced her. 

_ Smurfette  _ **_was_ ** _ really pretty today, wasn’t she? _

When the water overflowed from the pot, Storm shook her head in a tizzy back and forth, taking herself out of that space. She dumped the excess water into the sink, wiped off her kettle with a dry towel, and placed it on the stove.

Her little mug sat on the counter, with a makeshift infuser filled with herbal tea leaves sitting inside. All she needed to do now was wait.

Back against the counter, arms crossed, Stormy sat there in silence. No matter how close they’d gotten—she barely  _ knew _ Smurfette. And, after all, was it some crime to state the obvious? She was… attractive. Pretty. Beautiful, even. But, every Smurf knew that, even if they didn’t swing her way. They all knew how pretty she was. How genuinely passionate she was over the things she loved, not even to mention the  _ people _ she loved, and how cute it was to watch. The way her smile, so bright and full of endearment, could light up any room she was in.  _ Any _ smurf with eyes knew that. 

...Right?

Right?

Without anyone else to answer, the silence in the room was her only reply. She sighed. 

After much  _ inner _ brewing, her very forgotten stove kettle once again whistled to be taken off the burner, and Storm  _ gladly _ broke out of her inner monologue to grab it. In that moment, if it were possible… she probably would have thanked it.

When all was said and done, Stormy’s much needed cup of tea was the perfect bookend to her night.

Despite her inner pleas, her eyes drifted once again to the Lily in her window as she sipped. 


	3. Chapter 3

While dawn slowly fell upon the enchanted forest, Storm sat there waiting at the edge of the village. She’d gotten there early; sleep hadn’t been kind to her the night before, but there was no way she was going back on a promise. Even if she was sure she’d only been there ten minutes, it felt more like ten years. 

Right on time, she suddenly noticed Smurfette’s figure running towards her from across the way. 

“Hey, Blondie!” She called out to her, “For a second there, I thought you might’ve been too chicken to show.”

“You think I can take _Gargamel_ , but not _you_?” 

“You won’t use your _powers_ against _me_.” 

Smurfette scoffed as she leaped onto the bridge out of town, “Only if you’re lucky!” 

They were the only two awake this early, other than Papa Smurf, it seemed; with smoke already billowing up from his chimney, it was no secret that the old geezer (usually) rose with the sun. 

With her backpack filled with water and snacks slung over her shoulders, Smurfette finally made it, and was totally out of breath, but more than ready to go. 

“Sorry I wasn’t here sooner!” She quickly apologized, “I packed a few things for us to eat later! I hope you don’t mind.” 

“Hm… food in exchange for my services…” Storm scratched her chin, “...Sounds about fair to me.” 

Smurfette grinned in response. “So, you ready to go?”

“Yup.” She nodded, “Lead the way, Smurfette.” 

The walk wasn’t too far out, but the trail was definitely unfamiliar. To be fair, though, most things were; Storm herself hadn’t been able to do as much exploring of this forest as she would’ve liked. Not _yet_ , at least. So most everything was a surprise in it’s own right. It still baffled her just how _many_ smurfberry bushes there were scattered throughout the forest; it was like they’d taken over! 

When they finally came to a clearing, a wall of thin willow branches swayed in the wind before them.

“It’s just in here!” Smurfette said excitedly. She took Storm’s hand, nearly making her jump out of her own skin in surprise, and lead her through the willow trees.

As they walked out the other side, Storm couldn’t believe her eyes. 

“Whoah.”

Nothing but an area of lush, green grass, surrounded by willow branches, all of which fed into the edge of a large lake that no doubt fed into the river smurf. It was unbelievable.

“Isn’t it amazing?!”

Storm nodded. “You were right. It’s… literally perfect.”

“There’s tons of space, not too much sun, nobody else running around,” Smurfette listed, “Just a quiet, idyllic place to go and—“

When Smurfette turned around, she was met with a pointed, leafy sabre pointed directly at her, with Smurfstorm on the other end of it, looking cocky as ever.

“Fence?” she finished for her. 

Smurfette looked around the sabre, and noticed that it was nothing more than several pieces of a strong palm frond woven and shaped together to make a faux weapon. 

“What’s fencing?” 

Smurfstorm looked like she’d been slapped directly in the face with her words. “Wow, really? Well, I guess, it’s… basically just swordplay where you don’t get hurt.”

“Oooh!” Smurfette replied, “How do we—uh—start?” 

With a glint of mischief in her eyes, Stormy tossed a palm frond sabre over to her.

“Everything starts with your stance. You’re a righty, right?” 

Smurfette nodded. “Mhm.”

“I’m a lefty, so when _I_ bend my knees and face my opponent, _you_ , my _left_ foot will always be in front. Yours will always be your _right_ foot. So bend your knees, space apart, right foot first. Simple enough?” 

“Yup!” She replied as she followed instructions.

“Nice,” Storm said, “So, I’m gonna keep this basic, because, to be _honest_ , it’s not a _super_ important thing to know, but, I feel like you’d be good at it. And if you ever get tossed a sword one day, it might help out.” 

Storm pointed at the ground with her sabre, inciting Smurfette to do the same.

“So, basically, the goal is that you want the tip of your sword to touch your opponent, like this,” She poked Smurfette in the shoulder with her weapon’s harmless leafy tip, “and to block theirs from touching you, like this—try and poke me.”

Though a bit confused, Smurfette swung her sword as she was told, and was instantly blocked by Storm’s counter-attack. 

“ _That_ was an attack, and a ‘parry’—not that I’m a stickler for the names of everything—but, ya’ might as well know.” 

“Okay—so, an attack—“ 

Storm lunged forward for her attack, only for Smurfette to block it. 

“And parry.” Storm finished for her with a surprised grin. Seemed Smurfette was actually getting the hang of this thing! 

Catching her off guard, Smurfette lunged forward, and properly struck her opponent in the shoulder. Impressed for her lack of experience, Stormy slowly clapped. 

“Hey, you’re pretty alright at this!” 

“Just alright?” 

“Fine. _Better_ than I thought you’d be for a first timer.” 

Unsatisfied, Smurfette rolled her eyes, and lunged forward once again; unfortunately, she couldn’t take Stormy off guard this time. Her attack was swiftly blocked.

“First timer.”

“Old-timer!”

For hours, the two of them went back and forth, just like that. Taking quick shots, arguing about who struck first, or what was allowed or not allowed. They sparred until shortly before noon, when the two of them were physically tired, _and_ just tired of fencing in general. 

When they took a seat on a log by the lakeside, Smurfette whipped out her backpack.

“This is for you,” she said sweetly, as she handed her friend a little purple container. She also passed her a fork, and placed a canister of Smurfberry Juice on the ground between them. 

When Storm opened it, she was almost stunned.

It was a little neatly packed lunch box that had everything sectioned out; half of a sasparilla sandwich, smurfberries, and sliced strawberries, with cheddar cheese cubes and crackers. 

_‘So…so…_ **_’_ **

She choked at the thought.

_‘...Cute?’_

There were so many conflicting feelings within her that she had said absolutely nothing since she opened it. Smurfette, who was already halfway done with her sandwich, was beginning to worry.

“Uh, Stormy?” She asked her, “Is everything okay? I hope I didn’t pack something you don’t like?” 

“No, no! That’s not it—I just… wasn’t expecting it. Thank you.” 

“Hey, it’s no problem! You’re teaching me a bunch of new things. I have to return the favor somehow, right?” 

Though she didn’t understand why, something about that answer almost made her feel disappointed. “I guess, but, it’s not a problem, really. I’d do it whether ya’ made me lunch or not.” 

“But it’s a plus, right?” She smiled.

“... Can’t argue it isn’t, but, still.” 

Storm couldn’t deny it… all of it was delicious. It was as if the love they were made with just enhanced the taste of, well, everything. Even the fruits she had only chopped up herself. It was… nice. 

“Do you always pack your lunch like this?” Storm asked, “Usually I just toss my stuff in a bag and go. Gets kinda smushed, but I'm not too picky.” 

“Most of the time!” She replied, “But, not always. I _do_ always pack it like that for people I care about, though.” 

Storm hoped she wouldn’t be able to tell how blue in the face she was. “How come?” 

“Hm?” 

“Like… why go through all the trouble? Not that I don’t appreciate it, just… wondering, you know.” 

“Well, if you want, I can make it different next time—“

“No!” 

Storm froze. “Uhh, I mean, no, no, I… I like this. I really was just wondering.” 

“Oh!” Smurfette understood, “Well… I just like to do it to make my friends feel special. It’s the little things that seem to mean the most to other smurfs, you know? At least, I know they do to me. Even if it’s something as silly as sectioning someone’s fruit in a lunch I packed for them.” 

Storm nodded, listening intently as she took another bite out of her sasparailla sandwich. 

“Like, sometimes, when Hefty is going on an important trip, and I can’t go, I’ll sneak one in his backpack with a nice note. It gives me peace of mind when he goes; I know he’ll be happy when he sees it, even if things aren’t going too good.”

Suddenly, Stormy wasn’t hungry anymore. 

“Sounds like one lucky guy.” 

Smurfette smiled. “Sure hope so! I don’t think he’d call me his best friend for nothing.” 

Well, that certainly wasn’t what she was expecting. “So you’re _only_ his best friend?” 

The look on Smurfette’s face was… indifferent, to say the least. 

“It’s sort of complicated.” 

“I see.” 

Silence crammed itself between the two, only broken by the sound of Stormy wrapping up the rest of her sandwich, and closing the box once again. 

“...Sorry if that was weird to ask.”

Smurfette shook her head. “ _I’m_ sorry it’s weird to answer. I guess it’s just that… I don’t really have one to give.”

“Nobody’s got all the answers,” Storm chimed in, “I mean, if we did, you wouldn’t be here right now. I think it’d kind of suck to be out here sitting on a log, eating this thoughtfully sliced fruit all by myself.” 

“I guess that also means you wouldn’t _have_ the thoughtfully sliced fruit to begin with.”

“See! I wouldn’t have my thoughtfully sliced fruit to begin with. There you go.”

Finally, laughter. It was like music after the conversation they’d just had. And Smurfette’s smile was just so damn comforting. You could just—no. _Not_ this again. 

“Well, I say we get back to it for another hour or so, then call it a day, because I’m sure you’ve got things to do, too.” 

Smurfette nodded. “I think we can manage that. You’re a little too excited about getting beaten again, though.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yup.”

“We’ll just see about that.” 

The two of them raced to their sabres, and their competitive sparks flew once more. Their weapons swished through the air as they continued to duck and dodge each other’s attacks. 

“I don’t know Smurfette,” Storm said, jumping back to avoid her lunge, “I think you should stick to slicing fruit over swordplay.”

When she suddenly tripped over a tree root, she could practically feel that taunt blow right up in her face.

Smurfette stood over her, and with the snarkiest look on her face, poked her in the shoulder with the tip of her weapon. 

“You were saying?” She smirked. 

Storm scoffed. “Total beginner’s luck,” she asserted, “If I hadn’t tripped, you’d be _toast_ right now.”

“Right.” Smurfette laughed. For good sportsmanship, she held out her hand to help Storm up. 

Somehow, between Storm getting up too fast, and Smurfette losing her own balance, the two of them toppled over on top of each other. 

After they regained themselves, there was a moment where the two felt frozen in time; They locked eyes, and for a moment, they just sat there. All Smurfette felt like she _could_ do was stare; there was a pit in her stomach that didn’t feel bad—but she didn’t know if it felt good, either. It was something she’d never experienced before. As sweat beaded on her brow, Storm felt herself wrestling with her impulse control. 

Suddenly, Smurfette burst out into almost forced laughter, and their moment of intensity broke with it. Storm quickly lifted herself up, and awkwardly laughed herself, trying to act as normal as possible. 

“I guess that’s what we get, huh?” Smurfette suggested.

Half-listening, Storm’s mind was elsewhere. “Huh? Oh, yeah—hehe. I guess so.” 

The two of them got back up, and dusted themselves off. 

“So, you wanna call it a day?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Smurfette agreed, “I have to get home and put Baby down for his nap soon.” 

They gathered up their gear, and together, headed back to the village. Thankfully, it wasn’t a long walk; just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the village, really. It was a miracle that no one else hung out here. 

As they neared the edge of the village, Storm stopped in her tracks. “Hey.”

“Hm?” 

She stepped forward, and extended her hand.

“Good going today.” Stormy said.

Smurfette’s eyes lit up, and she gladly shook her hand; Stormy felt a shiver go up her arm.

“I definitely think you’re ready for what’s next.” 

“So… does that mean…” 

Storm nodded. “If you wanna learn more… I’ll teach ya’, okay?” 

Unable to contain her excitement, Smurfette pulled her into a gentle hug. It certainly didn’t help how Storm already felt, but… it _did_ feel nice.

As Smurfette held her, that dreadful feeling came back again; when it got to be too much, she broke their embrace as normally as possible.

“So, when are you free next?” Storm asked. 

“Well, tomorrow is a little too busy for me—I’ve got chores, and something with Hefty,” she replied, “How about the next day?” 

“Sounds good to me. Same time?” 

“Yup!”

“Alright, then.” Storm said, “I’ll let you run off. Baby needs his rest, right?” 

“Thanks, Storm!” she agreed, “See you later!” 

“Bye.” 

She only waited until Smurfette was out of sight before turning around, and _booking_ it straight into the portal home. 

When Storm reached home, she only waved at anyone who greeted her. She couldn’t spare a moment to even speak, nor did she feel like it. Even to her possy of groupies, she merely waved, and continued onwards, much to their disappointment. 

“Stormyy!” They called out to her. But there was no stopping that Smurf. Even to Blossom, she ‘hi’ and ‘bye’d’ her way out of that situation. She knew she’d just come looking for her later, but right now, she didn’t care. 

She ran up five flights of stairs, nearly ripped off her own doorknob because it wouldn’t turn fast enough to her liking, and when she was finally inside, she didn’t even bother switching the lights on. She shut the door behind her, and slid down it’s frame.

“Shit.”

* * *

  
As she made her way home, Smurfette was wracked with guilt. She had to go watch baby? Who was she kidding! Half of the time, it was hard to take him from Grouchy for even five minutes without him throwing a fit.

Why did she lie? 

That confusing pit in her stomach was still there, and no distance, nor time, was making it go away. It was practically _yelling_ at her from within; she didn’t know whether she wanted to scream, or whether she felt just a little bit lighter. 

But why?

In trying to wrap her head around the million things she was thinking about, she nearly ran right into Clumsy, who had _just_ gotten up from tripping over his own two feet. Twice was the charm. 

“Oh, Clumsy!” Smurfette rushed to help him up, “I’m so sorry! Are you alright?”

“Aw, gosh, Smurfette, I’m fine! Not like I’m not used to it. Everything okay? Ya’ look a little… freaked out.”

“Me? Freaked out?” She panicked, “Why would I be freaked out?”

“Dunno! That’s why I asked. Somethin’ happen?”

“Right. Um…” she fumbled, “I… don’t know. I’m just not feeling too well, I think. Probably just a cold.” 

“Aw, geez, I’m real sorry! Can I getcha anything or help at all?” He asked earnestly. 

Smurfette smiled, and waved him off. “That’s very sweet of you, Clumsy, but I think I’ll be alright. I’m just trying to get home and rest.” 

“Well, if ya’ say so,” he believed her, “but if ya’ _do_ need anything, just gimme a shout.” 

“Thanks, Clumsy.” 

For Smurf’s sake… she was on her second lie. As she walked away, it felt like a weight had been placed on her shoulders. Did it _look_ like she had a cold? Of course not. And Clumsy had just taken her word for it as her friend. 

It was true she didn’t feel well—but even then, it was only in a _sense_ . She didn’t feel good—but she didn’t feel _bad_ , either. 

When she was finally snuggled up in bed again, it gave her time to think. _Too_ much time, but time nonetheless. Enough to pinpoint it at its source.

She _always_ felt like this around Stormy. 

It was probably just nerves. And having her _that_ close to her—well, who wouldn’t be over someone they admired! Storm had an air of mystery surrounding her that interested Smurfette— _everyone_ in Smurfy Grove sought out to be by her side, yet she was only so close to a _few_ Smurfs, no more, no less.

And now, Smurfette had a shot at being one of the few.

Is this what people meant when they had butterflies?

Of course, this had to be natural. Who wouldn’t feel nervous, and a little excited, about growing close to someone they had longed to be closer to? It was just in a Smurf’s nature to have a deep longing to be friends with people. When two friends were meant to be, they experienced circumstances that unintentionally brought them together— _this_ was theirs, and she was simply reacting to it. It was nerve-wracking, the tension involved in making a new friend.

Right?

Perhaps it was the idea that their training would bring about so many new opportunities—a few of which she’d already discovered.

Like how she’d never noticed… what beautiful eyes Storm had. Those, she got a _really_ good look at. Such a deep, pretty blue—now, they seemed to stand out in a sea of others. And… as strange as it seemed to notice… she smelled _so_ nice. Like fresh pine. Was it a cologne? Or her shampoo? Whatever it was… it was soothing. Comforting, even. 

The kind of scent that just made her want to draw closer.

 **Great** Smurf. What was she even thinking? Did she even hear herself? 

Smurfette gathered her covers up, and as if it were a person, hugged them tightly. 

How could she think like that about a friend? 

It was wrong, right? To think of her friend that way? With her soft, pretty hair, and her kind eyes—what compelled her to even focus on things like that?

She didn’t look at Brainy like that. Or Clumsy. Or… even…

…Hefty. 

Smurfette teared up at the thought.

It had been months now since they had been casually ‘dating’—and she hadn’t even been able to give him a definitive answer on whether or not she was his… girlfriend. _Or_ if he was _her_ boyfriend.

 _How selfish_ , she thought to herself. Months of kindness and devotion, and this was how she repaid him? By noticing unusual details about her friend that she had never even realized about him? 

She felt ashamed. Embarrassed. She didn’t even understand what she was feeling, and to be honest, she didn’t really want to.

If she left it alone, she figured, just like most things, it would go away with time.

For now, sleep was the antidote.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: there is no actual drowning, but if you are uncomfortable or triggered by things pertaining to the *threat* of that, be cautious about the end of this chapter. Nothing graphic or scary, just thought I’d put this warning here for people.

“Knock knock?”

For once, Blossom’s voice at her door was the last thing that Stormy needed to hear right now. She was back in her pajamas, drinking her second cup of coffee that day, and brooding by her window.

“Nobody’s home.” She dryly replied. Ignoring her, Blossom opened her door, and whistled in surprise. 

“Whew. Training went that bad, huh?” 

Stormy looked at her, straight unamused. “No.” 

“Then why are you on your second cup of coffee?” 

“Wh—how do you even know that?”

Blossom snorted. “Uh, duh. Because I  _ know _ you had one this morning; the only time  _ you _ have another is if you’re  _ really _ nervous about something thinking it’ll help you relax, and after you  _ have _ the coffee, it gives you the shakes because you had too much. So you get even  _ more _ nervous, and end up drinking a third of our water supply to get over it, silly.” 

Storm looked down at her cup of coffee, then back up at Blossom, glaring at her as she promptly poured the rest of it down the drain. 

“Sometimes I wonder why I’m friends with you.”

“No you don’t.”

“...Fine.  _ That _ you’re right about. But I  _ hate _ when you’re right.”

Though she beamed at Storm’s admittance, it quickly faded back to worry. 

“So, what is it?” 

Storm hesitated.

“...Shut the door.” She requested.

Blossom did just so, and she prompted her to sit down on the couch. Stormy paced back and forth in front of her.

“Soooo, what's wrong? Did you guys get into a big fight? Did she stand you up? Did she—“

“No. None of that. Kind of the opposite.” 

“Oh?” 

Storm nodded. “...She makes me feel… weird.” 

Blossom scrunched her face up. “ _ Weird?” _

“Yeah, weird.” She repeated, “Like, when I’m around her I just… fall apart inside. I feel like I’m gonna spill my guts, I trip over my words and sometimes can’t think straight, and just—“

“No way.” Blossom interrupted.

“...What?” 

“I  _ can’t _ believe it actually happened. After  _ all _ the stuff you said about me and Hefty.” 

“What!” 

She paused, and looked up at Stormy very seriously.

“You’re crushing.  _ Big _ time.” Blossom said.

**_“WHAT?!”_ **

“I can see it all now.” She said, “ _ Smurfette and SmurfStorm sittin in a tree!” _

“The same one you made me fall out of?”

Blossom gasped. “Okay, I’ll admit it, I kind of deserved that. But still! I said I was sorry!” 

Storm looked down at the floor.

A  _ crush? _ On  _ Smurfette? _

No. It couldn’t be.

“You’re really off your rocker this time, Smurfblossom.”

Storm’s paces slowed, and her hands clammed. Smurfette was happy. She had someone, right? She had Hefty. She probably loved him. Probably. Did she? She  _ did _ seem a little too hesitant about him expressing affection the other day. Of course, why  _ would _ she want that with her friend standing right there? That was perfectly normal. It didn’t mean she didn’t love him. 

It didn’t mean she didn’t love him.

“Dunno, Storm… I feel like you and I both know that’s not true. Right?” 

Storm sighed, and took a seat on the couch next to Blossom, who threw her arms around her friend in pity. She dug her hands into her hair out of frustration as she was consoled.

“Aw, c’mon.. why so glum?” 

“Dude. Even if I  _ did _ … it’s not like it’s my place to.” 

Confused, Blossom lowered her head to make excruciatingly close eye contact with her. “What do you mean?”

“She’s with  _ him _ , dude.”

Snort-laughing, Blossom couldn’t help herself. “Who, Hefty? No she’s not!” 

Immediately, Storm shot up. “What do you mean she’s  _ not?” _

“She isn’t! Well,  _ technically _ she’s not, anyway,” She explained, “Her and Hefty are only ‘dating’. They’re seeing each other without terms and conditions. She doesn’t know  _ how _ she feels about him. Also, I  _ totally _ shouldn't've just said that, so don’t tell anyone. Pretty please.” 

It didn’t console Storm as much as she thought it would. “Well that’s just sad for the  _ both _ of them.”

“I know!” Blossom agreed, “I’ve been  _ trying _ to tell her that, but, you know. I can only do so much.”

“Well, I’m  _ not _ crushing on her,” Storm asserted, much to Blossom’s unshakeable belief, “But if I was, that  _ still _ wouldn’t be good news.” 

“Well, what  _ would _ be good news if you  _ were _ , is that you have more alone time with her than any smurf I know right now! Even  _ Hefty _ wishes he had that. That’s why he’s so grouchy about it.” 

“He’s grouchy about it?” 

“Oops.  _ Another _ thing I wasn't supposed to say, but, yeah.”

“...Where did you hear all this stuff?”

“Oh, Smurfette and I chat  _ all _ the time!” She said, “All you’ve gotta do is ask Smurfwillow to make you a little reflecting pool! It lets you talk to  _ anybody _ you want to, whenever they’re around, as long as you have the right magic words. Maybe if you guys get closer, she’ll give you hers!” 

Thinking it over, Stormy had to admit… sometimes, Blossom  _ did _ have the right idea.

“Maybe. Still, though—‘doesn’t mean that I like her.” 

“Whatever you say, Stormy. I just think it’s funny.”

Smurfstorm shot her a puzzled look. “Funny  _ how?” _

“ _ Funny _ how  _ they’re _ going through the same thing we went through,” she said, “With realizing we were better as friends.” 

She smiled, and ruffled Blossom’s hair. “We sure were.” 

“And if you  _ did _ have a ‘thing’ for her,” Blossom added mischievously, “It would be funny to see that thing sorta come full circle, you know?” 

“What, are you planning on sweeping ol’ Hefty off his feet when they realize they aren’t good for each other?” Storm teased her, “You wanna do a little exchange?” 

As her best friend laughed, Blossom scoffed, and crossed her arms.

“For the  _ millionth _ time,  **_no_ ** _!” _

* * *

As Smurfette’s eyes flickered open, all she saw for several moments was just a blue and white blur in front of her. It wasn’t until her pestering alarm clock went off that she fully woke up, only to find Hefty Smurf perched at her bedside.

“Wh—Hefty! H-Hey! What are you doing here?” She stammered, as she slammed down on the alarm clock’s button with her hand. 

“Just came to check on you. Clumsy-bro told me you weren’t feeling too good, so I thought I’d stop by.” 

Smurfette smiled, and leaned against her pillow. “Well, that’s sweet of you.” 

“Aw, no big deal.” He assured her, “gotta make sure my—I mean,  _ the _ lady I care about is okay, right?”

“Thanks.” 

From there, neither of them really knew what to say; Hefty kicked back, his chair leaned up against the wall, and Smurfette sat there, unsure and a little nervous, as she patted down the covers on top of her.

“Did something happen while you were with Smurfstorm?” Hefty suggested over-protectively.

“Of course not.” She assured him, “Storm would never hurt me. I just… i don't think I drank enough water before and during practice. So by the time I got home, I felt a little weak. You know, with the heat and all.” 

_ A  _ **_THIRD_ ** _ LIE?? _

“I don’t know, Smurfette. The water thing may be true, but, we’re in the first two weeks of fall. It’s been pretty cool outside all day. Are you  _ sure _ it’s not something else?” 

God, how could she have forgotten. She was so nervous, she hadn’t even been paying attention to how it was outside, let alone remembering how far into fall they were. This was bad.

“I really just wasn’t feeling well, Hefty. I mean it.” 

“Alright. I’ll take your word for it.” 

Just like that, another bout of awkward silence fell upon them. 

Smurfette remembered how they used to talk until their faces turned purple about literally anything. Granted, their conversations were always best when they had Clumsy and Brainy to play off of too, but even just them together—they could talk each other’s ear off. There were times where the both of them would be the last two awake during a sleepover, just chatting the night away while Clumsy and Brainy slept peacefully in their sleeping bags. 

Now, here they were, in possibly the best position to have a conversation, and it simply wasn’t happening at all. 

She wasn’t sure whether the quiet hurt most, or the fact that it even did in the first place. The fact that there was  _ so _ much of it, it was never something to be appreciated.

“Smurfette, I wanna ask you something.” 

Immediately, she perked up.

“What is it?”

“I was wondering…” 

Hefty looked down at the floor, then glanced back up at her. He was making movements with his mouth as if he was preparing to speak, but no words came out.

“...What are w—“

He looked straight into her eyes, filled with confusion and sleepiness, and lost his nerve.

“I mean… what  _ do _ you need?”

Taken aback, Smurfette just shook her head. “Nothing, Hefty. You coming to check on me has been more than enough.” 

He smiled, and placed his hand over hers.

“You know you can always talk to me, right?” 

Smurfette smiled weakly. “...Yeah, I know.”

“So, is there something you wanna talk about?” 

“About what?” 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. About your training, about us, about your day… anything.” 

“Well, I mean, this morning I accidentally ran  _ right _ into Clumsy. I felt so bad. He’d just gotten up, too.”

“Classic Clumsy.” Hefty sighed.

“Yeah…” she said.

There it was again. Silence. 

“...Really sorry you ran into him though. Sounds like it hurt.” 

“Not really. I just felt bad that I did.” 

Brutal, annoying, deadpan silence, only broken by Hefty suddenly getting up out of his chair.

“I think I’m gonna get going and leave you to your sleep, yeah? Get lots of rest for me, okay?”

“Okay.” 

For a moment, the two just looked at each other with a sense of longing in two different contexts. Hefty wanted, so badly, to just finally lean in and give her a real kiss—but for now, knowing the situation, he settled for her cheek.

Smurfette, on the other hand, was trying to study Hefty in the same way she had done with Storm—it was when she realized, that, in itself, was the problem.

She hadn’t even thought twice about the things she saw in her.

Hefty’s eyes… looked like a million other smurfs. He was a great friend, with great hugs, a nice smile, and a good attitude.

But the same effortless observation never came.

“Night, Smurfette.” He cooed. 

“Goodnight, Hefty.”

* * *

Bright, early, and nervous as ever, Storm was once again perched on a log at the edge of the village. This time, equipped with her arrows, some funny targets, and  _ two _ different goals in mind. 

Smurfette, excited, but slightly uneasy, was only just stumbling out of her house. With over a day of on-and-off sleep under her belt, she had had a restless night; nevertheless, she still packed the two of them lunch, threw on her backpack, and headed out the door. On her way, she nearly tripped on a carefully placed canteen of water that  _ hadn’t _ been there the day before.

_ ‘Hefty,’ _ she thought to herself. 

Instant guilt. 

Even if she’d already packed one for herself, she still took it along as to not hurt his feelings. Maybe Stormy hadn’t thought to pack one? She could have the rest, if she wanted. Or would that almost be wrong?

Smurfette didn’t want to think about why she would consider that wrong. 

Whatever the case, she took it with her anyway, and tried to wash her worries away by putting a little pep in her step, hyping herself up for the day that was to come. 

“Hey, SmurfStorm!” She shouted from a distance. 

“Hey, Blondie!” Storm happily perked up. Almost too much, in fact. She cleared her throat. 

“A little birdie told me you were out like a light yesterday. ‘Thought you might not show up. Training a little too tough on ya?” 

“Not at all,” Smurfette replied as she lightly skidded to a stop, “In fact, I  _ think _ you might wanna take it up a notch today. Beating you at your own game gets kinda boring after awhile.” 

“Ohoho—guess the sleep woke up your spunk. Not bad, but you oughta’ get your facts straight.” 

“Guess we’ll see today,” she teased, as she walked on ahead of her. Even if that feeling had come back—it seemed like seeing Storm was, ironically, just the medicine Smurfette needed. Being around her was… relaxing. It was fun to play off of each other, and have a little friendly competition.

Sensing she was walking alone, Smurfette turned around, and noticed Stormy was still near the village, watching as she was walking away.

“Uh, Stormy?” She called to her, “You coming?” 

“Oh, uh—yeah! Sorry..” 

As if she’d suddenly snapped out of a daze, she ran up to Smurfette, and the two of them raced each other to their little hangout. 

* * *

SmurfStorm practically threw herself through the willow branches to be the very first on that grassy green ground.

“I won!”

As Smurfette tripped in herself, her hair was thrown clear over her head, knocking her hat off in the process. “Hey, that’s cheating!” 

Storm picked up her hat, and held out her hand to help her up. “Where’s it say that in the rules, huh?” She teased, as she put her hat back on over her eyes. 

“Oh, phooey.” Smurfette waved it off. 

Together, they put down their things, while Stormy went to set up some very…  _ lovingly _ drawn targets.

First, there was a fabric “painting” of Gargamel with his tongue out, and ‘X’s’ over his eyes.

Next, a chicken-scratch rendition of Azrael.

And finally, a drawing of Monty that looked like it had been to the depths of creepy-deepy swamp and back. 

“Wow, Stormy, I didn’t… know that you were… quite the artist.” Smurfette fumbled with her words.

“I was pressed for time, okay? Besides, these guys don’t deserve any artistic confidence that could be brewing in me.” 

“... _ Could _ be?” Smurfette fought with her laughter.

“Okay, it isn’t,” Storm chuckled, “But what if, right?” 

The two of them laughed together. 

“Alright, but seriously, it’s time to get down to business.” 

Storm whipped out her bow, their little pot of honey, and gave Smurfette her little bag of arrows.

“Put it on.” 

Doing as she was told, Smurfette slung Stormy’s bag over her shoulders, and adjusted it as needed. 

“ _ Lily _ told me you already know how to shoot,” she began, “But are you  _ comfortable _ doing it? Do you feel like you know your way around a bow?” 

Smurfette shook her head. “Not really, but, it was great practice.” 

“Like I thought. Still, though, give ‘er a test run. Try to hit ol’ Gargamel right in his head.” 

Smurfette held onto her bow with an iron grip, dipped one of her arrows in the honey pot, and mounted it onto the bow string. She pulled back, but faltered; it ended up hitting funny-drawing-Gargamel’s foot.

“Nervous?” Storm asked, as she stepped closer.

“...A little bit.” She admitted.

“Don’t be; here, I’ll give you some pointers.” 

Storm placed her hand over the one she was using to hold her bow. 

“First of all, your grip on the bow is  _ way _ too tight. It’s your friend, not the smurf who just ate the last piece of Smurfberry pie, right?” 

Smurfette giggled. “Right.” 

“So ease up. Now, look at your stance—spread out a little bit. Your toes should be lined up, with your right foot in front.” 

Smurfette corrected herself just so, as Storm walked around her. 

“Prep your arrow for me.” 

Once done, Smurfette went to position the arrow correctly. When Storm was behind her, the hairs on her arms shot up; her subtle guidance was deeply appreciated, but, even moreso, deeply confusing in all areas other than archery. 

Storm gently nudged her arm up in a straighter position, and lightly held onto her as she prepared to shoot. 

“Keep it straight, and keep your confidence in check. You’ve got this.” 

Smurfette took a deep breath in, checked her stance, eased her grip up on the bow, and locked eyes with her target. Even if it was almost a little hard to focus with Storm right on top of her—she was determined to prove herself. 

She pulled back, released her arrow—and straight through Gargamel’s head it went. It broke a hole through the flimsy fabric Storm had used thinking she was more of a beginner. 

“Smurfette! Keep going!” 

“Huh?”

“You heard me, keep going!”

Stormy stepped aside, and just like that, in a matter of minutes, Smurfette had perfectly rendered two more of Stormy’s targets useless. 

“Honestly, I miss them.” Smurfette laughed. 

Storm had to admit; she had come under-prepared for today. She’d been a little out in space since her conversation with Smurfblossom—which was why she had to whip up the targets she  _ did _ have so quickly. 

“You made yourself out to be  _ way _ more of a beginner than you really are, Blondie,” Storm informed her, “I shoulda brought more for you than I did.” 

“Maybe I just needed the right teacher.” Smurfette said. 

Stormy blushed, and tried to blow it off. “Aw, don’t get all mushy with me.”

“If you say so,” Smurfette shrugged. 

“In the meantime, let’s practice on some stuff around here.” Storm suggested. 

When the two of them had practiced on the few regular trees there were, perfected aiming with any little pebble or rock they could shove out of the way, and even tried to incorporate some bushes into it—they knew they were done for the day. 

_ After _ they cleaned everything up, of course.

The honey wasn’t  _ too _ hard to get off, thankfully, but it sure was sticky. Cleaning it up off of the sides the best they could just lead to it getting all over them, too. 

“You know, somehow, I thought this would be less…”

“Messy?” Storm finished for her.

“Yeah. A bit less, anyway.” 

“Well, that’s amateurs for ya’.” 

Smurfette flicked some honey onto Storm for that. 

“Hey! What gives!” 

“Oh, sorry! I thought you’d be expecting it.” She teased cutely.

With the vast lake laying in front of them, and the two of them sticky head to toe, Storm went to the water's edge, and gazed into it.

What a horrible idea.

“Hey Smurfette, I  _ think _ I might’a found something over here.”

Smurfette followed her, and looked around in the sand.

“Where? What is it?” She asked.

“No, no, not  _ there _ .” Storm said, as she waded her ankles into the shallow water. “Over  _ here _ .”

Suspicious, but still following her anyway, Smurfette did the same. Her eyes scanned the murky water, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

“Well what is it?” 

Storm looked at her with such a face that Smurfette knew she’d fallen right into one of her traps.

“Right here!”

And before she could react, she was pulled into the water.

“ _ Storm! _ it’s… f-freezing!” shouted Smurfette, who was now soaking wet as she took her shoes off and threw them onto the tiny beach.

“What? ‘You afraid of a little cold water, Blondie? ”

Smurfette replied with an icy splash of revenge. 

“Are you?” She snickered.

Their water warfare continued from there; they chased each other through the shallow, occasionally tripping in the mucky sand below. 

It was bliss. 

Seeing Smurfette’s hair get all in her face as she ran around, laughing and kicking at the little waves that flowed in, was bliss. As hard as it was for Storm to admit—even to just herself—it was the most fun she’d had in awhile.

Smurfette was pleasantly surprised at just how much Stormy had opened up in these ‘sessions’. 

In some ways, she feared it.

Now, little things about her were impossible for Smurfette to ignore. Like how much her hearty, obnoxious laugh made her smile—or the way the light on the water bounced off of her eyes, and made them twinkle. 

She was… a great friend. It was a marvel to see how far they’d come. And now, after all this time, things about her were starting to stand out in a way they never had before.

Was this what having a girl best friend felt like? Well, wait. She didn’t feel this way about Blossom. At least… not  _ really _ . Perhaps in some ways, but not as a majority, and she still considered Blossom to be one of her best friends  _ without _ those strange feelings, so—what was…  _ this? _

It was either that she just couldn’t put her finger on it, Or, maybe, that she almost didn’t  _ want _ to. 

Whatever the case, she just wanted to enjoy this moment, and try not to overthink it.

“ _ Bet _ you won’t go deeper.” Storm challenged her, as she started to wade in herself. 

“Well  _ somebody _ has to keep you from drowning.” She jabbed back.

Storm scoffed, and continued forwards. 

In a quick move, Smurfette dove under, and swam faster ahead of her. 

“Nobody likes a show-off, you know.” Storm teased her. 

When Smurfette came up for air, she stood back up; the water was just a little above her waist. Though her friend wasn’t far behind, she still enjoyed having been able to out-swim her.

“Takes one to know one!” 

For awhile, the two of them just swam around, and enjoyed each other’s company; even if the lake was indeed freezing, and they knew they’d probably pay for it later, it was nice to have  _ one _ last summer swim. Even if it had technically passed, of course. 

The farther out they went, the rockier the bottom of the lake became; so much so that even Storm, at a certain point, had had enough.

“C’mon, Smurfette, let’s call it a day.” She shouted to her. 

“Okay! I brought lunch again today! We can eat before we go back home.” 

“ _ Yes! _ ” SmurfStorm said quietly to herself. When she realized Smurfette had noticed, she backtracked. “I-I mean… good. I’m starving.” 

The water was shallow enough to where Smurfette decided to walk back; there may have been an uncomfortable rock every step or so, but she didn’t mind too much. The sooner they got to shore, the sooner they could eat.

“ _ WHOAH!” _

She never could have seen it coming; as Smurfette was wading through the water, she encountered a drop-off that she stepped directly into. Her momentum sent her straight down to the bottom, where her foot got stuck in a hole in the rocky, mucky lake floor—with a sprained ankle from the fall, on top of it all. She could barely move to pull it out without being in intense pain. With the water several inches above her head, she tried to stay calm, but tried to signal for help with all her might. 

Nearly not hearing her shout over the sound of the water sloshing about with every step she took, Stormy whipped around, noticed her splashing, and took off in her direction. 

“Smurfette!” 

In a rush of adrenaline, Storm dove into the water, and paddled with all her might. Meanwhile, Smurfette was struggling to keep her air in; despite how much it hurt, she managed to finally jimmy her leg out between the rocks and out of the muck. Using only her arms, she swam back to the surface, and gasped for air.

“Smurfette, what happened?!” Storm called to her as she finally reached her.

“My foot got stuck, and I—ow…” she moaned meekly, “...probably sprained my ankle.”

“Here,” Storm said, as she picked Smurfette up into her arms, “Lemme take a look at it on shore.” 

Trying her best to be as careful as possible so the  _ both  _ of them wouldn’t be injured in the middle of an icy lake, Smurfstorm carried her bridal-style to shore. Smurfette, while still in pain, felt like she was floating. 

Was it morbid to be even  _ kind _ of glad she’d sprained her ankle?

Yeah, it totally was. At least she’d be keeping that information to herself.

Storm examined the swollen area; thankfully, her ankle wasn’t  _ broken _ , but the look of pain on Smurfette’s face at just her slightest touch said it all. 

“Do you think you can walk?” She asked her, as she half-let Smurfette down on her good leg, all while keeping a hold on her.

“...I  _ don’t _ think that’s a good idea _.”  _ Smurfette replied, as she winced when even trying. 

“Let’s get you back to the grove,” she said, as she picked Smurfette up into her arms, “Willow is great with this stuff.” 

After scooping her back up, Storm went to grab Smurfette’s backpack, her bow, and slung her arrows over her shoulder. To lighten the load even if only a little bit, Smurfette held her own bag, and the two of them set off towards Smurfy Grove. 


End file.
